Frank's heart skipped a beat when he heard Vanessa's scream.
"Oh no!" he cried. "Oh God, no!" He bolted down the corridor, oblivious to the protests of the doctors, nurses and visitors.
He reached Joe's room a minute after the doctors.
"You can't stay in here, Frank," a voice said behind him. Frank turned around.
"There's not enough room," Dr. Collin said. Frank nodded dumbly and allowed Vanessa to lead him out by his arm.
They sat down in he hard plastic chairs in the hallway. Frank sat with his head in his hands. Vanessa gave him a hug.
"He'll pull through, Frank," she comforted. "He's a fighter."
"I know," Frank said miserably.
They waited in the chairs for over an hour, until the nurse came out and told them the situation.
"We managed to stabilize him," she said. "Thankfully, it was only a small seizure. He will be alright now." Hopefully, she almost added. She gave the two teens a reassuring smile.
Frank relaxed, sagging against the chair. "Thank God," he whispered.
The nurse led them to Joe's room.
Frank sighed. Joe looked much the same as before, just a little paler. He dropped his weary body into the chair beside Joe's bed.
Vanessa decided it would be best to leave then. She walked over and kissed Joe on the forehead, then gave Frank a small hug. "I'll come by tomorrow," she promised.
Frank nodded.
"Oh Joe," he whispered once he had heard the door shut. "What are we going to do with you?"
He sighed. It was going to be a very long night.
Frank settled into the portable cot, which had been set up at Joe's bedside. He pulled the blanket up around his shoulders and closed his eyes. "Night little brother," he said.
Within minutes, he was asleep.
Frank sat up suddenly, thinking something had had happened to Joe, but it was only the night-shift nurse who had come to check on Joe and change his IV bag.
She smiled at him, noticing the dark shadows under the boy's eyes. He looked utterly exhausted.
She knew that the boy was Frank Hardy, one of Fenton Hardy's sons. She had read in the newspapers that he was a year older than his brother, who was lying in a serious condition next to him. But frankly, he looked a whole lot older right then.
"Its okay, I'm just changing the IV," she said.
Frank nodded and lay back down. "Night," he said tiredly.
"Goodnight," she said as she finished her job and left the room.
Frank stared up at the ceiling, unable to get to sleep.
Half an hour later, Frank's eyes fluttered closed and he succumbed willingly to the darkness of sleep.
Frank awoke the next morning to a hand shaking him on his shoulder.
"C'mon mom, it's Saturday!" he moaned. "There's no school today, so I'm sleeping in!"
Laura Hardy smiled and shook her head in amusement at her eldest son's stubbornness.
"Sweetie, wake up," she tried again. "They're moving Joe out of Intensive Care and into another ward."
Frank's eyes flew open.
"So they think he's going to be okay?" he asked excitedly.
His mother nodded. "They think he's improving because he's responding to treatment." She smiled. "Get dressed, we're going to get some breakfast."